Does a home warranty cover gutters or gutter damage?
Short answer. Usually not. Most home warranty contracts exclude gutters and downspouts, and even plans that offer a limited roof leak option typically leave gutters out. Storm damage to gutters is a homeowners insurance matter, while poor installation falls under the installer's warranty.
Home warranty versus homeowners insurance
- Home warranty: a service contract that pays to repair or replace listed systems and appliances, such as HVAC, water heaters and kitchen appliances, when they fail from normal wear.
- Homeowners insurance: pays for sudden damage to the house from covered events such as wind, hail and falling trees.
Gutters are part of the house's exterior, not a mechanical system, so they sit outside most warranty contracts. Read the exclusions section of your contract to be sure; it is usually explicit.
Who pays for what
- Hail dents, wind damage, a limb that tore a run down: homeowners insurance, ideally on the same claim as any roof damage.
- Seams that leaked or runs that sagged within a year or two of install: the installer's workmanship warranty.
- Paint finish that peels or chalks early: sometimes the gutter material manufacturer's finish warranty.
- Age, rust, clogs: the homeowner.
Making an insurance claim instead
After a storm, photograph dents and loose sections, check the downspouts, and include them when you report roof damage. Dented gutters also help prove the hail size that damaged your shingles. See the after a hail storm checklist and wind damage roof claims.